Dave Albritton

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = David Albritton

| image =

| state_house = Ohio

| state = Ohio

| district = 34th

| term = January 3, 1961 – December 31, 1972

| predecessor = Frederick Bowers

| successor = Ed Orlett

| party = Republican

| birth_date = April 13, 1913{{cite web |title=USATF – Hall of Fame |url=http://www.legacy.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=4 |publisher=USA Track & Field |access-date=June 13, 2017 |language=en |archive-date=May 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523205555/http://legacy.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=4 |url-status=dead }}

| birth_place = Danville, Alabama, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1994|5|14|1913|4|13}}

| death_place = Dayton, Ohio, U.S.

}}

{{MedalTableTop | name = no | medals =

{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}

}}

David Donald Albritton (April 13, 1913 – May 14, 1994) was an American athlete, teacher, coach, and state legislator. He had a long athletic career that spanned three decades and numerous titles and was one of the first high jumpers to use the straddle technique. He was born in Danville, Alabama.{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Dave Albritton |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/al/dave-albritton-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417172723/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/al/dave-albritton-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |access-date=June 13, 2017}}

Athletic career

As a sophomore at Ohio State University, Albritton won the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship in 1936.{{cite news |title=The other Jesse Owens: The forgotten 1936 Berlin Olympic story of Alabama's David Albritton |url=http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/the_other_jesse_owens_the_forg.html |access-date=June 13, 2017 |work=The Birmingham News}}

In 1936, Albritton and Cornelius Johnson both cleared 6 ft 9{{fraction|3|4}} in (2.07 m) to set a world record at the Olympic Trials, becoming the first people of African descent to hold the world record in the event. Albritton was second to Johnson at the 1936 Summer Olympics, with a height of 6 ft 6{{fraction|3|4}} in (2.00 m). He claimed the silver medal in a jump-off after he and two other jumpers cleared the same height.

Albritton and Johnson were snubbed by Hitler when they went to collect their medals.{{cite news |title=Johnson, Albritton, and Thurber's Patriotic and Defiant Bellamy Salute in Response to Hitler's Snub at Berlin in 1936 |url=http://thesportjournal.org/article/johnson-albritton-and-thurbers-patriotic-and-defiant-bellamy-salute-in-response-to-hitlers-snub-at-berlin-in-1936/ |access-date=June 13, 2017 |work=The Sport Journal |date=September 22, 2015}} In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including Albritton and Jesse Owens was documented in the film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.{{cite web | last=Henderson | first=Odie | title=Olympic Pride, American Prejudice movie review (2016) | website=RogerEbert.com | date=2016-08-05 | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/olympic-pride-american-prejudice-2016 | access-date=2021-04-11}}

Albritton won or tied for seven National Amateur Athletic Union outdoor titles from 1936 to 1950. He was AAU outdoor champion in 1937, 1946, and 1947 and tied for three national collegiate titles, in 1938, 1945, and 1950.

=Coaching and political career=

Albritton later became a high school teacher and coach. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives for six terms. In 1980, he was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Legacy

A historic marker honoring Albritton was unveiled on July 12, 2013, Danville, Alabama.{{cite web |url=http://www.decaturparks.com/account-sub.php?accountid=&cn=638 |title=David Donald Albritton |publisher=Decatur Parks & Recreation |access-date=August 7, 2013}}

References

Wallechinsky, David (2004). The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics, Toronto: Sport Classic Books. {{ISBN|1-894963-34-2}}
{{Cite web|url=http://www.woodlandcemetery.org|title=Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum|last=generator|first=metatags|website=www.woodlandcemetery.org|language=en-us|access-date=2017-12-05}}